Developers Unveil Proposal For Nansemond River Homes

PORTSMOUTH — Developers revealed their plans for a 165-home subdivision on the Nansemond River in Suffolk Wednesday night at a reception for government officials and business leaders.

The River Plantation development will be on 90 acres in Hillpoint Farms, a sprawling 1,100-acre development at Route 10 and Hill Point Road, said Warren Everhart, a partner in Development Designs, the developer.

The head of Development Designs is E. Kenneth Day, who has done several developments in Virginia Beach. Lots at River Plantation will range from $49,000 to $185,000 and about 40 of the lots will have direct access to the water, Everhart said.

Houses will be custom-built and will probably cost between $195,000 and $700,000, including the price of the lot, Everhart said. The land at River Plantation is particularly desirable because it represents some of the last undeveloped waterfront property in the area, he said. Convenient access to Norfolk and Newport News also makes the area attractive, Everhart said.

"I think it's a piece of land that a lot of people have been looking at for a long time," Everhart said. "I know we have."

Developers have already cleared the land and will be grading the site in the next two weeks. Everhart said he hopes to have the first 20 houses completed by July. The entire project is scheduled to be completed by November, he said.

Plans for River Plantation were shown off at a reception for city officials, builders and investors in Portsmouth Wednesday night. River Plantation will be part of the Hillpoint Farms development, whose developers say will include eight film studios, an 18-hole golf course, 1,300 homes, 120,000 square feet of office space, a hotel and a shopping center.

One of the movie studios, part of a planned $50-million film production center, has already been completed.

Lindsey Suggs, Suffolk's school superintendent, said "It's going to be a challenge for us to accomodate" the growth in population that River Plantation and other developments in the city will bring.

"I think we're ready to deal with it."

Thomas Waller, Suffolk's economic development director, made a presentation at the reception, using the opportunity to make a pitch for the city as an ideal place for development.

"We intend for Suffolk, if at all possible, to be the type of community you would want to live in and invest in," Waller said.